Sack of Pliska
The army gathered in May, and by July 10 had set up camp at the fortress of Marcelae (present-day Karnobat) near the Bulgarian frontier. Nicephorus intended to confuse them and over the next ten days launched several supposed attacks, which were immediately called back. Krum assessed the situation and estimated that he could not repulse the enemy and offered peace, which Nicephorus haughtily rejected. Theophanes wrote that the Emperor "was deterred from his own ill thoughts and the suggestions of his advisors who were thinking like him". Some of his military chiefs considered the invasion of Bulgaria to be imprudent and too risky but Nicephorus was convinced of his ultimate success.
In June he invaded the Bulgarian lands and marched through the Balkan passes towards the capital Pliska. On July 20 Nicephorus divided the army into three columns, each marching by a different route towards Pliska. He met little resistance and for three days he reached the capital where the Byzantines met a 12,000 army of elite soldiers who guarded the stronghold. The Bulgarians were defeated and most of them perished. Another hastily assembled army of 50,000 soldiers had a similar fate. On 23 July the Byzantines quickly captured the defenseless capital. The city was sacked and the countryside destroyed. Khan Krum attempted once more to negotiate for peace. According to the historian Theophanes, Krum’s proclamation stated "Here you are, you have won. So take what you please and go with peace." Nicephorus, overconfident with his success ignored him. He believed that Bulgaria was thoroughly defeated and conquered.
Michael the Syrian, patriarch of the Syrian Jacobites in 12th century described in his Chronicle the brutalities and atrocities of Nicephorus' troops: “Nicephorus, emperor of the Romans, walked in Bulgarians land: he was victorious and killed a great number of them. He reached their capital, took it over and devastated it. His savagery went to such a point that he ordered to bring their small children, got them tied down on earth and made thresh grain stones to smash them.” The Byzantine soldiers looted and plundered; burnt down the unharvested fields, cut the tendons of the oxen, slaughtered sheep and pigs. The Emperor took over Krum's treasury, locked it and did not allow his troops to reach it.
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